


Split

by Snowflake88



Series: The I.D.E.A. Chronicles [2]
Category: Code:Realize ～創世の姫君～ | Code: Realize - Guardian of Rebirth (Visual Novel), Code:Realize～創世の姫君～ | Code:Realize ~Sousei no Himegimi~ | Code:Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~ (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mutants, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 20:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30077586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowflake88/pseuds/Snowflake88
Summary: The empath begins his training with IDEA. It uncovers what may be a larger problem.Sequel to "Labyrinth"
Series: The I.D.E.A. Chronicles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720762
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	Split

**Author's Note:**

> Saint Germain and his motley crew are members of I.D.E.A. - Integrated Defense of Enhanced Abilities. This collection of one-shots are written in this alternate universe where every member has two or more super-powers. Their powers are as follows:
> 
> Saint Germain (Leader): Immortality, Time Warp, Elemental Manipulation  
> Cardia Beckford: Acid Generation / Enhanced Senses  
> Arsene Lupin: Invisibility / Teleportation  
> Impey Barbicane: Superspeed / Invulnerability  
> Van Helsing: Super Strength / Invulnerability / Enhanced Senses  
> Victor Frankenstein: Empathy / Telepathy / Telekinesis
> 
> Disclaimer: I make no money from this - I'm only playing in the Code: Realize sandbox with these pretty characters. And I gave them superpowers. Heh... Please seek permission before translating this work. Thank you!
> 
> Join me! I made a Code: Realize server, with Van / Fran at its centre. However, all CR fans are welcome to come on board! Sail the uncharted waters with me at https://discord.gg/ZjdXTtw

A feather hovered unsteadily in the air, then wobbled its way to the tabletop. Saint Germain nodded in satisfaction as it finally settled lightly, smiling reassuringly when the one who had been responsible for controlling its movement cast him an anxious glance. The latest addition to their motley crew was still a little rough around the edges when it came to controlling his newfound powers, but he was getting better at the finer points of motor control. It was, however, imperative to keep him calm as much as possible for the best results. They had learnt the hard way that when the subject was anxious, panicky or even tired, the effects of his nascent telekinesis were somewhat more... destructive.

Beside Saint Germain sat a somewhat more morose figure - his full lips an unsmiling line as he watched the training session unfold. Earlier that week, the subject of their scrutiny - the empath, as they had taken to referring to him, had awakened from his trauma-induced coma and had almost immediately brought down the building upon discovering that he was amnesiac. It had taken a combination of Saint Germain’s power to bend the laws of time, Impey’s lightning reflexes and speed, Lupin’s apparating abilities and his own sheer strength to save their lodging from premature demolition. Cardia had fortunately been out at that time, but she was quickly given a rundown of what had happened upon her return. Van himself had delivered the knockout blow, while Lupin had transferred everyone out of the building to the open garden where there were significantly fewer objects to turn into flying projectiles. When the empath regained consciousness again, they cautiously informed him that he was suffering from amnesia, had a few special abilities, and that they were all there to help. With that precautionary notice they had managed to avoid a more destructive fate. However, the empath was still unstable, and more importantly, unpredictable, and his control over his abilities, even his incumbent empathy, was shaky at best. It was a powder keg just shy of a spark, in Van Helsing’s opinion. He didn’t like this situation one bit.

They had yet to decide how to address the empath, for there had been no identification documents on him when they retrieved him from Nemo’s lab, and even if he could provide them with the requisite fingerprints, it would still take time to hack into the government databases to find a match. That task had fallen to Lupin, who was always resourceful at gathering information, though more often than not it led him to cross swords with his own nemesis, Herlock Sholmes. If he could help it, Lupin tried to avoid any contact with the wily detective, even though they were technically on the same side. After all, Lupin did have a propensity for using somewhat unconventional means to achieve his goals. There were things he would rather Sholmes never found out.

For the time being, the empath had been given a training regimen to add a sense of routine to his day, with Saint Germain supervising him for the most part. Usually, new arrivals would be rehabilitated at IDEA’s headquarters, but it was a large training facility likely to overwhelm the empath given his delicate condition. Saint Germain had sought permission from his superiors to take charge of his recovery and rehabilitation and it had been granted. It had been decided that he would refine his telekinetic powers during his individual training, while honing his empathic and telepathic skills during the paired sessions. Once his telekinesis had been stabilised, he could work on using that to assist the others further. 

The newcomer’s individual training slot was almost over. Van Helsing cast a critical eye over the other’s frame - lanky, skinny, and somewhat uncoordinated in his movements - he would be quite useless in a physical fight until he could learn to properly control his telekinesis. 

He wondered if Saint Germain intended for him to work on the other’s physical condition during the paired session later. He could come up with a set of workouts that would have the other fighting fit in a mere few weeks. 

“It’s enough for now,” Saint Germain pronounced. “You did well to focus such a small amount of energy on a tiny object. We will practise this again tomorrow to work on improving your steadiness. Rest for a while before we begin the paired session.”

“I can go on!” said the empath, his vivid green eyes wide. “I’m just getting a slight sense of control now. I want to do better…” 

“You should conserve your strength. It’s still early in the day,” smiled Saint Germain kindly. “It takes a while for these things to sink in. You must give yourself time to allow it to become muscle memory.” He looked over at Van and nodded. “We will begin the paired session in a quarter of an hour’s time. I want to see how your telepathy and empathy affect Van here. There were some promising signs based on your session with Impey yesterday, but he’s pretty much an open book. It will be most enlightening to see how you fare in the face of greater resistance.”

So that was what Saint Germain had in mind. Van wasn’t quite convinced that there would be any conclusive results, for he had undergone conditioning both prior to and since joining IDEA. He was sure that the time the empathic waves had affected him in the warehouse had been more of a fluke, for he had been caught off guard then. If he went through the requisite exercises to clear his mind and centre himself first, he was quite certain that it would be near impossible for the empath to use either telepathy or empathy on him. In any case, he would use the time prior to the paired session to do so. He settled into a lotus position on the grassy patch, closed his eyes and began focusing on his breathing, concentrating on extending his senses to centre himself firmly within the world around him. He pictured building walls all around whatever thoughts his mind wandered to, until every gap was sealed. After several long minutes, his breathing evened out, and he reopened his eyes. The outer world around him was at once in full technicolour, with every sound and smell igniting his senses, while his own inner world coiled itself into a tight ball wrapped with layer upon layer of hardened gauze, almost concrete-like in their density.

“He’s ready,” said Saint Germain, who had kept an eye on Van’s state, and the nervous shuffling of the empath’s feet on the soft grass reached Van’s ears. “When you have centred yourself the way I taught you, try extending your psychic reach to find his mind’s eye, and report what you see.”

There was a momentary pause, then a sharp, almost inaudible intake of breath that would have gone unnoticed were it not for the acute hearing Van possessed. He heard the other’s heartbeat speed up, before feeling an almost imperceptible nudge on the edge of his own consciousness.

“He’s shut me out,” the soft voice said. “I hear only my own thoughts, and I cannot detect feelings that are not my own.”

“Fascinating,” Saint Germain commented. “With Impey, that connection was almost immediate. Do you see anything?”

“Walls,” was the reply. “They’re white… like hardened plaster, but laid like bricks.” 

Van suppressed his own reaction to that revelation. He hadn’t expected the telepathic link to be strong enough to see the walls he had mentally conjured in that amount of detail. 

“Search for a gap,” Saint Germain commanded, and a nerve jumped in Van’s jaw.

“There’s none,” the empath reported dutifully. There was another pause. “May I approach him? I’d like to try something.”

“Van?” Saint Germain enquired, and Van Helsing gritted his teeth. It was taking him much more effort than he had thought to maintain the mental walls, and if there was an opportune moment to test them, this was it. He gave an acquiescing nod. 

The empath knelt down in front of Van. Something about his manner seemed different - the newcomer usually seemed nervous and jumpy, but there was none of that now as he took hold of one of Van’s forearms, pushing a sleeve up to his elbow before laying his palm flat against it. The touch was light and warm, and when he looked up again, the green eyes had closed such that long brown lashes fanned against the other’s cheekbones. Delicate frame, delicate looks too, Van mused despite himself, before remembering that he was still supposed to keep his guard up. He stifled the urge to mentally curse himself as he hoped the empath hadn’t sensed his thoughts. 

“Is there anything different when you do this?” Saint Germain called out. 

“I am asking permission,” said the empath. “If his subconscious lets me through, I will be able to gather more knowledge about him because memories reside in the cells of the body… Uh… I don’t know how I knew that.”

“Very good,” said Saint Germain. “It seems that your empathic instincts are resurfacing. Please proceed. Van, keep those walls up as much as you are able to.”

“Understood,” Van grunted, returning to his meditative state. Think of nothing but walls, he told himself. 

The empath gasped all of a sudden, and his long-fingered hand slipped off the skin of Van’s forearm as he doubled over, his other hand clutching at a spot on his chest near where his heart was. 

“You were hurt,” the empath declared, his voice strangled. “I felt the wound being inflicted. It still hurts you from time to time, doesn’t it?”

Van’s eyes widened behind his glasses. This was something that he had not even revealed to the entire group - only Saint Germain and Lupin knew because they had been the ones to patch him up. He had not even told them about who had inflicted the wound - it was a dark patch of his past that he had always tried to conceal, and he certainly never let on about the constant pain he still felt over the site of the wound. To all appearances the skin had healed over, and he had intended to take this secret to his grave.

“The pain remains because the wound was inflicted with a curse,” the other said, grimacing as he righted himself. “But you must have received help before - the poison of that curse would have killed you by now if you hadn’t. The worst of the curse has been removed somehow, though the healing wasn’t complete then.... I could... finish the work to help you remove the remainder if you grant me permission to. The body will know how to heal itself after that.”

“What does that entail?” Saint Germain asked in concern, seeing the empath’s hesitance.

“I will have to face his pain,” came the stoic reply. “But it must be done. The curse cannot be allowed to linger. I felt it. It will slowly, but surely, kill him if it remains within him. It will merely be a matter of time.”

“Are you certain? You are still convalescing.” 

The empath nodded determinedly. “I am certain that I can tolerate it. If the curse remains, it will fester and become worse. It must be done now.” His green eyes bore into Van’s blue ones. “Please lower your walls. It will be harder for me to help you without your permission.”

Van found himself caught in a conundrum. There were events from his past that he did not want the others in IDEA to know about, and quite frankly he could care less about returning alive from the missions, but he had grown close to this group and he knew that his strengths rounded out the rest of the ability users. They could always find another, but a part of him selfishly wished to remain with the group for as long as they were willing to keep him around. He had grown quite fond of all of them, even the annoying redhead.

His voice was low as he addressed the empath for the first time. “I will grant you permission on the condition that you keep whatever you come to know only between us… and that you don’t push yourself beyond your limits.” His own body had been tough enough to withstand the pain. He wasn’t so sure about whether the other’s frailer constitution could handle it. He received a grim nod in response. He started relaxing his guard, letting his thoughts scatter and allowing his senses to wander.

“I’m going to ask your mind to be open,” the empath said, before reaching out to tap Van’s head lightly with his fingertips. He then placed his palm over Van’s forearm again. It took a moment, but it was clear when the pain hit, for the empath’s features contorted, his breathing sped up and his grip tightened around its contact point. Van recalled how he had twisted away from his assailant so that the sword had only just missed his vitals, though the pain had been white-hot from the moment the blade entered his flesh. He had no doubt that the empath was feeling all of that phantom pain right now, judging by how his face was getting paler by the second. The other’s breathing became harsh and laboured, the grip on his arm tightened by sheer force of will. He knew the pain well enough himself, driving sharp through his body, as though he were being impaled for the first time each time it happened. The other man drew a ragged breath, and he could not help but feel guilty and responsible for causing the other to feel such agony. 

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the empath let go of his arm. His shaking hand reached out to tap Van alternately on his head and on his chest above his heart. “It’s done,” he gasped, before keeling over. Van caught him before his head could hit the ground, then hastily let go again - what if he caused the other even more pain? He looked pleadingly over at Saint Germain. 

The white-haired man placed two fingers gingerly on the pulse point of the unconscious empath’s neck. It was fast, but the heart was beating steadily. “He’s just passed out for now. I believe he just needs a bit of time to recover from that. He didn’t go beyond his limit from what I can tell.” He arranged the empath’s limbs in the recovery position. “It’s best not to move him until we can be sure that he’s disconnected any empathic links he’s set up. We should let him rest here first, then see if he can walk on his own.”

They sat with the unconscious empath for a good few minutes, before the lanky young man groaned raggedly and his eyes began moving rapidly beneath the closed lids. Then, the green eyes fluttered open, staring uncomprehendingly first at the grass beneath, before shifting into sharp focus as the gaze landed on the two sitting before him. 

"Looks like he’s landed himself in something way over his head again,” the empath drawled. He rubbed his hand over his chest. “That fucking hurt, alright? Let’s start over. I’m Victor Frankenstein. Where am I, how did I get here, and who the hell are the two of you? Make it quick so I can figure out what he’s done now.”

San and Van stared at the copper-haired man in disbelief. His entire demeanour had changed - gone was the nervous, stuttering wreck. The empath eyed them with weary disdain, before rolling his eyes and offering a cryptic explanation. 

“The other guy’s gone to sleep for a while - it happens if he pushes himself too hard. That’s when I come out. I’m his defense mechanism if you like. Whatever you made him do, stop it. Well you’re stuck with me now, like it or not. That’s it, my life story. _Now_ can I have my explanation?”

**Author's Note:**

> I created a Discord server for a Van/Fran ship; but there are channels available to discuss general Code: Realize stuff too. Come on board at https://discord.gg/ZjdXTtw


End file.
